Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky

I have been experimenting making beef jerky for the past couple of years. It started when I discovered an awesome “spicy sweet” beef jerky made by Oberto. The flavors and texture really hit the spot but to sustain this new addiction would be pricey. So, I came up with my own recipe. It’s chewy texture and mouth watering sweet and salty flavors, with a hit of “heat”, becomes the perfect snack to take backpacking or hiking!

Cut flank steak 1/8-1/4 of an inch. Place all ingredients (except the meat) in a plastic bag. Mix well. Place meat into the bag and incorporate the ingredients into all layers of the meat. Place in the refrigerator for 3 days. Occasionally turn and mix the ingredients in the bag over the next three days for an even marinade.

Take meat out of the bag and place it on to your dehydrator racks. I use a Nesco Dehydrator and Jerky Maker. It works great! Set the temperature to 160º. Space slices of meat so they are not touching. This will help with a more even cooking time.

Cook beef jerky at 160º for approximately 3-7 hours. This time frame can vary greatly due to how well your dehydrator retains its heat, thickness of your meat as well as desired texture.

When your beef jerky is finished, let it cool before packaging. Take the beef jerky off the trays and store in an air tight container or plastic bag.

Your beef jerky will store up to 1-2 months in a cool dry place like a cupboard, longer if you refrigerate or freeze your it. If you are at my house it does not last a day!

Enjoy and happy hiking!

Helpful Hints:

Freeze steak partially (not solid) prior to cutting your meat. This will make it easier to slice the meat and cut more even slices.

Cut steak across the grain of the meat for a less chewy texture.

Get you beef prepped at a butcher shop. I purchase my beef jerky meat from the wonderful Springfield Butcher’s. I can order the flank steak ahead of time and my butcher will cut it and have it ready for pick up at an agreed time. My butcher tells me any lean cut of beef will work for beef jerky but he finds that most customers always come back to flank steak as their preference.

Trim off any extra fat on your beef. You want to have the leanest cut of meat as you can. Fat will inhibit the length of storage time of your meat as fat can go rancid. So keep it lean.

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About Beth

Full of spirit and imagination, I am setting off on a journey to explore and discover the great outdoors. As a mother of two, I have spent many years nurturing my children’s exploration of the world, it is now my turn to quench my curiosities that call to me and lead me forward. Living in a metropolitan area all of my life has made it difficult to truly nurture this desire. I have decided bringing more of natural world into my everyday life a goal of mine. With limited time and natural resources it will take work to put this Mother back in Nature, but I am looking forward to the challenge!

3 responses to “Sweet and Spicy Beef Jerky”

I love Mr. Yoshida sauce! I followed your recipe and the finished product was good but missing an important ingredient: liquid smoke. Next time I’ll try adding a little. Thanks for sharing your recipe!

About Me

Full of spirit and imagination, I am setting off on a journey to explore and discover the great outdoors. As a mother of two, I have spent many years nurturing my children’s exploration of the world, it is now my turn to quench my curiosities that call to me and lead me forward. Living in a metropolitan area all of my life has made it difficult to truly nurture this desire. I have decided bringing more of natural world into my everyday life a goal of mine. With limited time and natural resources it will take work to put this Mother back in Nature, but I am looking forward to the challenge!